Where I Belong
by LuigiWife1551
Summary: "Do I... belong here?" Crona wonders if what he's doing is right for everyone else around him. Maka makes him understand. Rated T for graphic descriptions.


**Hello there! So I have returned with another one shot, but this time, I will venture into the Soul Eater fandom!**

**I finished watching the anime over the summer, and I'm actually waiting for the manga to finish so that I can read that as well (don't worry, I'm aware that there are major differences between the anime and the manga). I enjoyed it so much it became one of my favorite anime series alongside a few others I have. **

**My top three favorite characters ever in the series are: Death the Kid, Demon Swordsman/woman Crona, and Dr. Franken Stein, in that order.**

**For this story, I will be using Crona, and yes, Crona will be MALE. This is a forewarning to anyone who does like Male!Crona: you do not need to read it, but if you do chose to read this story, please do not comment things such as "Oh, Crona's a female" or anything like that. I've seen and read way too many of these arguments to know that everyone has their opinion, and this is my preference for my fanfiction. If I do see any comments that appear to lean in that direction, I will treat them as flames and delete them. I want honest, constructive reviews, not a bunch of people arguing over what gender Crona is; that's not my problem. **

**With all that being said, enjoy my very first Soul Eater fanfiction! All characters belong to Atsushi Okubo.**

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**Where I Belong**

Crona sat quietly in a seat farthest away from the door, nibbling almost on a large piece of vanilla cake given hastily to him by his now loudest but good friend BlackStar. Said meister was walking around, clothing unkempt and looking drunk with Soul Evans, his best friend.

Looking to his left, Crona watched the host of the little gathering, Death the Kid, trying to keep everything on the platter table perfectly aligned. One of his weapons, Elizabeth Thompson, tried in vain to pull him away while her younger sister Patrica was mingling with Soul and BlackStar.

BlackStar's weapon, Tsubaki, was speaking with the head of the whole school, Master Death himself. And Maka was sitting some feet away from Crona, surveying everything with a watchful eye.

It seemed like peace was finally here for good. Crona's evil mother and aunt were no more, and with the Kishin completely destroyed, Lord Death felt the time for celebrating had come... almost 24 hours after the grueling battle had ended. Such was the carefree attitude of one of the strongest, if not a bit questionable.

Nonetheless, not one soul or weapon had any objection to the grand idea, and with help from the perfectionist Death the Kid, the party was thrown in full swing. Everyone was really having a great time, and Crona felt he should have been, too.

But tonight, he just didn't feel like celebrating. He was glad to see his friends and Ms. Marie had forgiven him for his brief betrayal, and was even more happy when Maka had finally stopped crying over his near-death experience. But he didn't feel like he was supposed to be here, with all those who risked everything to save the school and his own soul.

His weapon, Demon Sword Ragnarok, was definitely enjoying the party- grabbing food and shoving it like a pig and constantly making terrible comments about Tsubaki's cooking, but also attempting to flirt with Ms. Marie. Crona sighed and shook his head heavily- when was his weapon going to learn?

Realizing there was no way to be alone with Ragnarok thumping his noggin senseless, Crona sat quietly by himself, close enough to the food so Ragnarok wouldn't bother him, but far enough so he could think in peace.

"Crona? Are you alright? You haven't eaten anything off your plate yet..."

Looking sideways, he met with large green eyes who were looking worriedly at him. Crona chuckled lightly, a pink tint spreading across his cheeks.

"M-Maka! I-I'm not all that hungry... Ragnarok will eat it." he admitted sheepishly. As if on cue, said weapon appeared and plopped himself on top of Crona's head.

"Yeah, what's with ya? Dude, this is a PARTY!" he yelled, grabbing a handful of food with one round hand and poking Maka'a cheek with the other. "Unless this stupid cow is ruining it for ya- OW!"

A steaming fist had come flying before he could finish the statement. "Say that again, you little jerk, and I'll kill you!"

Crona just sat there, not sure whether to laugh or duck.

"Maka... CHOP!"

He winced. On second thought, duck. Fast. NOW.

Crona cowered in a corner, terrified on being Maka- chopped on the head yet again thanks to his loudmouth weapon, and apologizing to no end. While Kid watched with annoyance and BlackStar was being himself- loud and ignorant, Maka assured him that he wouldn't be clunked, and he slowly returned to where he was earlier.

The party went on for several hours, during which Crona barely interacted with the people who came to love him as their own. Even Ragnarok could see something more was weighing him down, more so than usual, anyway.

"Hey, you."

Crona's eyes rolled up to see X eyes staring at him. "Yes?"

"The hell is wrong with ya? Why aren't you flirting with your girlfriend and her friends?"

Ragnarok definitely knew something was up when Crona, who would usually turn beet red and start stammering about how he didn't 'like' like Maka all like that and go on about a bunch of other stuff, instead lowered his head and shook it.

"Nothing, Ragnarok. I'm not really hungry, that's all. Want this?" He held up a bigger plate of food that Tsubaki had made. That quickly got his weapons's attention and he forgot the rest of his questions, devouring all the food on that plate.

_'Mother is dead now. And so is Arachane. So why can't I feel at peace already?'_

Crona briefly looked across the room and spotted Ms. Marie and Professor Stein conversing with one another, Marie happier than she'd been since the whole war began. Something inside Crona's narrow chest tightened, and he rested his hand over the source of his pain- his heart, filled with guilt at what he'd nearly put Stein through and what he knew Marie had been going through.

_'I almost caused Maka to lose her favorite professor, and her mind... and Stein to do the same... I'm surprised Ms. Marie hasn't tried to hit me with her hammer yet. I made so many mistakes...'_

He sighed quietly. "Do I... actually belong here?"

The party ended with many of the guests heading home for the night, leaving the usual team together in the main room. Kid was going on and on about how there was no symmetry anywhere with the way his main room looked, while his weapons Liz and Patti tried to assure him it would be fine- at least, Liz was. Patti had more fun goofing off with Black Star.

Tsubaki and Ms. Marie were talking and watching Black Star running around without his pants, Maka was chasing him with her book, and Soul was off to the side sipping some juice and acting like nothing was going on.

Crona had been staring into outer space for so long, Soul finally realized he was the only one not talking. And he called him out on it, which put Crona on the spot.

He wasn't comfortable with talking to everyone all at once, and with all eyes on him, Crona felt extremely uncomfortable. His eyes darted around the room, taking note that each and every person was staring right back at him.

"U-Um... I-It's..."

And he bolted out of the room. He didn't hear Maka calling after him, nor did he hear Black Star ask, "What's his deal?" He heard nothing.

He ran.

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"Crona! Crona, wait up!"

Crona still continued to run. His eyes stung with unshed tears but he forced himself to hold them in until he could be someplace by himself. Which wasn't the case with Maka hot on his tail.

"CRONA!"

He suddenly halted. Why was he running from her? It was thanks to her he was allowed to stayat the acadamy, and it because of her he nearly sacrificed his own life. He'd do anything to keep her smile...

So why was he running away from that one person who cared anything about him?

Maka finally caugh up with the swordsman, panting and doubled over from running like a madman. She glanced up at the back of Crona, who hadn't moved an inch.

"C-Crona... what's wrong? Why did you run like that?"

The swordsman turned slowly to face his friend, and Maka understood the look that was currently written on Crona's face. "You still feel lost, huh Crona..."

"Maka... I keep having these nightmares... they feel so vivd and it terrifies me because of what I do to all of you... what my mother does..." he wealky muttered, his arms hugging himself.

"Every time, I seem to just lose control of myself... I can't even control Ragarok, and we walk into the acadamy... I stab Ms. Marie, right through her heart... and I can hear her begging me to spare her. But I don't... I keep bringing Ragnarok down, keep cutting away at her until all that's left is flesh and bone..."

Maka shuddered. "K-Keep going..."

"My mother follows behind me. She finds Stein... he's trying to avenge Ms. Marie, but she wounds him badly... tears off his arm and tosses it aside, saying that he won't need it. She pulls that screw right out of his head, and he's bleeding all down his face... but he can still feel what's happening to him! Her vectors go right through him, but he can't scream. She stabs his throat, his face and soon I don't recognize him at all..."

Crona felt a strong need to vomit, but he kept talking. "BlackStar and Tsubaki are fighting me now. I snap Tsubaki as her sword form, and her screaming is all I can really process. BlackStar just stands there while I tear her limb from limb, tossing her aside like trash. And then he charges right at me with his fist. I catch it and...I say why do you bother when you can't win? Ragnarok uses Screech Alpha and it nearly snaps his head from his body. I can see he's still trying to fight, so I eventually stab my fingers through his heart, and I can feel it beating in my hand... it feels warm and sticky. BlackStar's coughing up blood, and asking me why... and I can't answer him because I don't know... and eventually I squeeze his heart... tighter and tighter until it exploded in my hand and he stops moving and I drop his lifeless body to the ground."

"Kid isn't trying to fight. His weapons... the sisters, they... my mother kills them. She simply snaps the younger one's neck, and stabs the older one in the neck. They're both lying there with their eyes wide open, face full of fear... and I just watch them. I step on them, ignoring the sound of their facial bones breaking. Kid just looks at me... he knows he's going to die, and I bring Ragnarok down on him. Before he bleeds out, he asks me why is he hurting us... h-h-hurting those you care about... and I don't answer him. I can't answer him!"

Crona was a crumpled mess on the ground by the time he got the real reason his nightmares terrified him. "You and Soul... you two are at the entrance. Soul is in his weapon form, but you are injuried from my mother's vector arrows. She orders me to eliminate the person who murdered my aunt. To take revenge. She begins to wrap her arrows around you, and you drop Soul. I fight him... he puts up a good fight, and then one of the vectors connects with his stomach. He freezes for a moment, and he looks at you and he knows you're... "

Maka took his hands into hers. "I-I can't... I can't finish this..." Crona sobbed, his head bowed low.

"I am dead, aren't I." Maka didn't ask; she knew that was what troubled Crona the most. The small head nod from Crona was all it took.

"What happened after that?" She kept her voice gentle and low, knowing Crona didn't want to finish the story, but that he had to if he ever wanted to sleep right again.

"Soul starts yelling at my mother... calls her a bitch because of what she has done, and vows to avenge you all. But Ragnarok isn't listening to me, and he starts swinging on Soul. He can't defend himself, and soon... my mother finishes him off. It takes him so long to die... and the whole time, all I could hear was his raspy breathing... he's choking on his own blood..."

Crona looked up at Maka, face completely soaked in his tears. "What if that happens? You told me I could stop my mother before and I know she's gone, but she won't stop haunting me... and I don't want any of you to suffer because of me!" he cried.

Maka hugged Crona tightly as she did the last time they had a conversation like this. "Crona... you almost died because your own mother wanted you gone. You nerly gave up your life to keep me alive..." she whispered in his ear.

"I know what you're going through. I had the exact same thing- nightmares for days after we won. I couldn't bear the fact that... I came that close to losing my closest friend. Especially after everything we went though and what you went through trying to fight your mother's control over you."

Crona stiffened up, and Maka smiled, her eyes closing in though. "You don't have to feel like you aren't a part of us. We fought to save you, Crona. We wanted you here because we knew you weren'y evil. You were only lost... lost and abused by the person who should've been protecting you in the first place."

For a while, neither one moved. Crona tried to wrap his head over what Maka told him before he asked something.

"M-Maka... can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?"

He loosed up a little before he said, "Do I belong here with you all? Should I be around you guys if I'm such a risk to you?"

"You are one of us. A student. Your mother will never have control of your mind or your heart ever again." Maka said firmly. She pulled Crona back and smiled her happy go lucky smile that always made Crona blush a little.

"Never forget that. We are your friends, and you are just as important as the rest of the gang."

Crona's eyes widened in surprise. He knew Maka meant that, and that everyone else cared about him and his crazy weapon too. He just didn't want to risk putting them in any more danger.

His mother is gone... but Crona could only hope he will never fall under an evil infuence ever again.

"... thank you. Maka."

Maka nodded happily before she wiped a tear from Crona's face. "Come on. The others are probably worried about you."

Crona stood up and as Maka practically pulled him along with her back to Kid's house, he couldn't help but feel the happiness and hope Maka had for him, for all of their friends. He didn't think that his nightmares would ever cease, and was almost paranoid his mother was back in some way.

_'She meant what she said to me that day I left DWMA... and she wants to keep me safe, even now. That is it... I must... I must get stronger. I have to protect her... protect Soul... all of them. I will not let anyone else take control of my heart anymore!'_

He smiled. Even though Maka couldn't see it, she could feel it and she squeezed Crona's hand just a little.

_'I will get stronger... for you, Maka Alburn.'_

Crona slept that night after thinking about what Maka had said. He knew he was a witch's child, but that didn't mean he couldn't get better. He had a new purpose: to become a better person, a better fighter and a better friend.

And that night, he didn't have a single nightmare.

**END**

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**And complete! Just to let you know, I wasn't quite sure where this was going to go or how it would turn out- but for a one shot in this fandom, I think I did alright. :P**

**Please let me know what you think, and thank you for reading! Until next time!**


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